KIRKSVILLE, Mo. — The Truman State University track and field program opened the 2026 outdoor season at the University of Central Missouri Invite in Warrensburg on Friday, March 20, while the Great Lakes Valley Conference announced its preseason coaches' polls Thursday, slotting the Bulldogs eighth in both the men's and women's standings.

Preseason Polls

The GLVC released its preseason outdoor track and field coaches' polls on Thursday, March 26. Indianapolis was voted the favorite in both the men's and women's polls. On the men's side, the Greyhounds received nine first-place votes and 140 points, edging out Lewis (136 points, four first-place votes) and Lincoln (118 points). Truman State checked in eighth with 64 points. In the women's poll, Indianapolis again topped the field with ten first-place votes and 166 points, followed by Lewis (159 points) and Lincoln (144 points). The Bulldogs' women landed at eighth as well, earning 76 points.

UCM Invite Results — Truman State Highlights

The Bulldogs showed promise across multiple events in their outdoor season opener at Warrensburg.

In the field events, junior Max McMullin was a standout on the men's side, clearing 2.00 meters (6-6.75) in the high jump to share the top spot in the event. Senior Hayden Long also contributed with a clearance of 1.85m (6-0.75) at the same event. Freshman Gavin Lawler opened his outdoor season with a 4.00m (13-1.5) vault in the pole vault. On the women's side, freshman Taegen Novel tied for third in the high jump with a clearance of 1.53m (5-0.25), while freshman Addy Winder notched a 2.73m (8-11.5) effort in the pole vault.

In the throws, seniors Tyler Davis and Alex Long paced the men's shot put, finishing third and fourth respectively with marks of 15.63m (51-3.5) and 15.25m (50-0.5). Long also threw 47.71m (156-6) in the discus for seventh place, with freshmen Tucker Harvey (46.08m) and Carl Aaron (45.09m) also contributing. In the hammer, sophomore Chase Beebe threw 50.57m (165-11) for seventh. On the women's side, freshman Addy Brown led Truman with a 35.80m (117-5) discus throw, while senior Destiny Zimdars posted a 46.63m (153-0) hammer effort for fourth place.

In the jumps, junior Hailey Derboven led the women's long jump with a 4.58m (15-0.5) effort, and freshman Raegan Derboven was close behind at 4.50m (14-9.25). Raegan Derboven also competed in the triple jump, registering a 9.87m (32-4.75) mark.

On the track, freshman Claire Burks opened her outdoor campaign with a strong 58.84 in the 400 meters, finishing second among Truman women. Sophomore Trevor Norman led the men's 110 meter hurdles with a time of 15.29. Sophomore Kaela Perez ran 15.87 in the women's 100 meter hurdles for third place. In the sprints, freshman Brandon Howard clocked a 10.78 in the 100 meters and 22.01 in the 200 meters. Senior Raina Baker led the women's 800 meters in a time of 2:17.80, finishing first among all competitors in the event.

The distance corps was particularly deep. Senior Gavin Hill led the men's 5000 meters with a 15:16.95 finish for second overall, while junior Nolan Meara ran 15:49.25 for fourth. On the women's side, sophomore Clare Stahr led a Truman sweep of the top four spots in the 5000 meters, winning the event in 18:22.01. Senior McKenna Ledgerwood (18:32.91), sophomore Sarah Williams (18:46.75), and freshman Anna Ripley (18:50.34) rounded out the top four. Senior Mathes Breanna (19:05.63) and junior Kate Yates (19:13.10) also competed well. In the 1500 meters, sophomore Phoebe Canatsey led a Truman 1-2-3 finish among women, posting a 4:58.59, with junior Kendra Zeilstra (5:00.47) and sophomore Jocelyn Dorsey (5:00.94) right behind. On the men's side, senior Ryan Gustafson ran a 4:04.73 for sixth in a deep field. The women's 4x400 relay team of Tess Harper, Julia Brown, Raina Baker, and Claire Burks finished first in 4:07.78, while the men's 4x400 squad of Michael Bottary, Trevor Norman, Alex Marberry, and Wyatt Gustafson took the win in 3:25.30.

Up Next

With the outdoor season now underway and the Bulldogs slotted eighth in both GLVC preseason polls, Truman will look to climb the standings as conference competition gets underway later this spring.The Bulldogs will head to Central College this weekend for the Central Invitational.

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